Catholic Fire

"Jesus rises to glorify the Father and to save us. The mystery of the Resurrection is therefore for us; it is our mystery, it is our glory, it is our burning fire of love, it is our light." ~ Fr. Marie - Dominique Philippe, OP, priest, professor, philosopher, founder of the Community of St. John

"True mercy, in the image of Christ's mercy, is not a proudly condescending and pharisaic pity for poor sinners - an attitude in itself perhaps sinful. To be truly merciful is to love and understand sinners, because we know the extent and the depth of evil within ourselves; because, like St. Paul, we have experienced the warrings of the flesh and the spirit, and have discovered in ourselves the marks of original sin -- our inclination towards evil and the weakness of our will..." ~ Archbishop Emile Maurice Guerry - Excerpted from Today's Meditation in the Magnificat.

Let nothing trouble or afflict thee. Am I not here, I who am thy Mother? Thou art beneath my shadow and protection. And am not I life and health?In my lap art thou,and counted as mine. What more dost thou need? I shall show my tender clemency for those who love and seek me, for all who implore my protection,who call on me in their labors and afflictions. ~ Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego Image: The Pregnant Mother

Almighty and ever-living God, I approach the sacrament of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I come sick to the doctor of life, unclean to the fountain of mercy, blind to the radiance of eternal light, and poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Lord, in your great generosity, heal my infirmity, wash away my defilement, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I receive the bread of angels (Ps 78:25), the King of kings and Lord of lords (1Tm 6:15), with humble reverence, with the purity and faith, the repentance and love, and the determined purpose that will help to bring me to salvation. May I receive the sacrament of the Lord's Body and Blood, and its reality and power. Kind God, may I so receive the Body of your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, which was born from the womb of the Virgin Mary, that I be received into his mystical Body and numbered among his members. Loving Father, as on my earthly pilgrimage I now receiv...

“If you wish to convert anyone to the fullness of our Lord and of His Mystical Body, then teach him the rosary. One of two things will happen. Either he will stop saying the Rosary - or he will get the gift of faith.” ~ Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

"It was Our Lord's method that whenever anyone misunderstood what He said to correct the misunderstanding, as He did when Nicodemus thought "born again" meant re-entering his mother's womb. He repeated what He said. And in this discourse, Our Lord repeated five times what he had said about His Body and Blood. The full meaning of these words did not become evident until the night before He died. In His last will and testament, He left that which on dying no other man has ever been able to leave, namely, his Body, Soul, and Divinity for the life of the world." ~ Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, from The Life of Christ

When we have once placed ourselves entirely in the hands of God, we need fear no evil. If adversity comes, He knows how to turn it to our advantage, by means which will in time be made clear to us. ~ St. Vincent de Paul

"We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature -- trees, flowers, grass -- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. . . . We need silence to be able to touch souls. " ~ Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"Joy is prayer -- Joy is strength -- Joy is love -- Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. God loves a cheerful giver. She gives most who gives with joy. The best way to show our gratitude to God and the people is to accept everything with joy. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love. Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of the Christ risen. " ~Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta